'Animals die as many fires being set deliberately'

THE number of wildfires in Wales already this spring has been “extraordinary’, a senior firefighter has said.

- By RUTH MOSALSKI

So far this season, Mid and West Wales Fire Service has dealt with almost 700 fires, compared to 100 in the same period last year.

An average for this time of year would be around 250.

Scott O'Kelly, head of arson reduction for Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service, told BBC Radio Wales that while spring is often the peak for fires, there has already been “extraordinarily levels of fires’.

“There is a natural peak generally in the spring of grass and wildfires at this sort of time,” he said.

“For example, for the start of the first three months of last year, we were under 100, whereas we're up nearer 700 this year. That just gives you a bit of an example of where we are.”